As we mark Mental Health Awareness Month, we’re spotlighting the value of emotional resilience – how to build it, practice it, and use it to thrive.

Reframing Resilience: A Skill, Not a Trait

Many people assume resilience is a personality trait, as in you either have it or you don’t. However, decades of psychological research show that resilience is better understood as a skill set. Like physical fitness, it can be built with consistent practice. 

This shift in thinking matters. It means resilience is not fixed and that it is a set of behaviours, thoughts, and actions that can be learned, developed, and strengthened over time. When we reframe our understanding of resilience this way, it becomes accessible to everyone, not just those who seem “strong” from the outside.

What Is Resilience, Really?

So, what does it mean to be emotionally resilient?  At its core, resilience is the ability to respond to, and recover from, adversity (think stress, setbacks and emotional difficulties). It’s not about avoiding hardships or eliminating “feeling bad” altogether, but rather navigating challenging situations with awareness and flexibility.

In other words, resilience is the ability to bend without breaking.

When people are emotionally resilient, they don’t bypass difficult emotions… they face them, process them, and keep going. They’re also more likely to seek help, stay connected, and draw on resources (both internal and external) when they need it most.

Pillars of Emotional Resilience

Building up your emotional resilience doesn’t happen overnight. To train this skill, it helps to break it down into some of its core elements. These are some of the pillars that form the foundation of emotional well-being and can be nurtured through regular practice: 

1. Self-Awareness

Understanding your emotions, triggers, and patterns is the first step towards building resilience. Being able to accurately identify your feelings enables and empowers you to respond instead of react to external situations. This awareness is the starting point for managing your emotions and making clear choices.

2. Regulation

Once you start becoming more aware of your emotions, managing them becomes possible. But remember: this isn’t about suppressing emotions or ignoring them. It’s about creating space to pause, reflect, and respond with intention, rather than being swept away in the moment.

3. Connection

Social support is one of the strongest predictors of emotional resilience. Whether through family, friends, colleagues, or support groups, staying connected helps buffer stress and reinforces a sense of belonging. This isn’t said to add pressure on you to have a thriving group of friends, more as a reminder that if your first impulse is to withdraw when you’re moving through a challenging moment, you may be better off reaching out instead.

4. Mindset

Cultivating resilience can benefit from understanding how our mindset is affecting our ability to navigate challenges. Resilient people understand that suffering is a part of life. A resilient mindset isn’t about always being positive or forcefully optimistic, it’s about being open. When we meet challenges with curiosity instead of judgment, we give ourselves room to grow. This kind of mental flexibility helps us adapt, adjust our expectations, and move through difficulty with grace.

5. Meaning Making

Resilience doesn’t come from always feeling hopeful – often it grows from finding meaning, even in the midst of difficulty. For some, that might mean connecting to personal values, helping others, or simply focusing on the next small step. While optimism can be supportive, it’s okay if it doesn’t come easily. What matters most is staying connected to something that gives your experience a sense of direction or purpose, even if it’s just getting through one day at a time

Practices That Build Resilience Over Time

You don’t need to overhaul your routine to begin building resilience. Small, consistent actions often make the biggest difference over time:

• Try a breathing exercise. Inhale deeply through the nose for four counts, hold for four, exhale for four, and pause. Repeat a few cycles to calm the body and clear the mind. Get into the habit of leaning on this simple breathwork, and during moments when strong emotional surges are happening, you can pull out this tool.


• Write it out. Journaling can help you process emotions, recognize patterns, and bring clarity to complex situations. It also helps with that self-awareness we mentioned earlier.


• Take short breaks. A five-minute walk or moment away from your screen helps reset focus and reduce tension. Also, when you feel triggered or your buttons have been pushed, a short 5-minute pause can go a long way.


• Check in with yourself. Quick and regular moments of reflection build emotional insight and self-compassion. Try asking yourself how you feel and what you need in the moment throughout your day.

These tools may seem simple, but, when used regularly, they help create a more resilient foundation for daily life.

Taking the Next Steps

As we move through Mental Health Awareness Month, take a moment to pause and reflect:

When faced with challenges, how do you usually respond?

What helps you feel steady or supported?

Are there ways you could cultivate your emotional resilience?Are there small actions you could take to strengthen your resilience?

Who in your network can you reach out to for connection and support?

Mental health is not a solo pursuit. By learning to build emotional resilience, we don’t just help ourselves but also contribute to a more compassionate, connected environment for everyone we interact with.

And most important: be kind to yourself! Resilience isn’t about getting it right all the time; it’s about staying engaged and allowing ourselves to keep learning, even when things feel uncertain.